F1 LIVE! Mexico City Grand Prix race result, updates, latest news and TV as Max Verstappen wins

F1 LIVE!

Red Bull's double world champion Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday to set a Formula One record of 14 victories in a single season.

The Dutch 25-year-old led from pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to take the chequered flag ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton with Red Bull's Sergio Perez third in front of his home crowd. Verstappen's win was his fourth in Mexico and the podium ended up the same as last year.

It was also a ninth win in a row and 16th from 20 races for Red Bull, who wrapped up the constructors' title in Texas last weekend with three rounds to spare. Verstappen retained his drivers' title in Japan on October 9.

F1 Mexico City Grand Prix updates

• LIGHTS OUT! Verstappen leads Hamilton

• BOX, BOX! Slow stop for Perez

• VSC! Alonso retires

• CHEQUERED FLAG! Verstappen wins

Thanks for joining us!

22:09 , Marc Mayo

It was one for the purist as Max Verstappen took the victory in Mexico City.

F1 will be back in a fortnight’s time for the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season.

Recap the action with our race report!

The champagne!

22:01 , Marc Mayo

A big cheer for Perez as he takes his trophy in front of his parents, partner and young family.

A great setting for the podium in Mexico, where they even elevate the car and winning driver via a fancy lift.

Time for the podium

21:56 , Marc Mayo

Sergio Perez up next

21:51 , Marc Mayo

“I gave my best, really pushed hard. Unfortunately we had a bit of a bad stop. It was really difficult to follow. Unfotunately it didn’t work out today but it’s still a good podium.”

Lewis Hamilton gives his reaction

21:50 , Marc Mayo

“A bit awkward this time around, boos all day, but I have so much love for Mexico and the people here. I was so close in that first stint, but Red Bull clearly too fast today and maybe the better tyre strategy.”

That winning feeling for Max Verstappen

21:45 , Marc Mayo

21:43 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton second, Perez third and Russell crosses the line for fourth - and gets the fastest lap.

CHEQUERED FLAG!

21:41 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen breaks the record for most F1 race wins in a single season - that’s victory No14 as he crosses the line!

Lap 70/71

21:39 , Marc Mayo

Not a huge amount of battling left inside the top ten but Russell pits in a bid to take the fastest-lap point.

21:38 , Marc Mayo

Back racing with Verstappen cruising to victory.

Russell wanted to pit during that VSC but was denied - and remains 5.2 off Perez and stuck in fourth.

Ricciardo, now seventh, is on the verge of clearing Ocon behind him by his whole 10-second penalty! Norris runs ninth after getting Bottas to swing this race right in McLaren’s favour.

Lap 66/71

21:35 , Marc Mayo

A very prompt recovery of that vehicle brings out a quick green flag.

Alonso looks furious with his Alpine as he clambers out, before taking the applause of the cowd.

Virtual safety car!

21:33 , Marc Mayo

The race is neutralised with five laps to go.

Alonso out!

21:33 , Marc Mayo

A DNF for Alonso, he pulls over in the run-off area with an engine issue...

Lap 63/71

21:30 , Marc Mayo

Ricciardo gets Ocon pretty promptly to go seventh - he now has 46 seconds of clean air to try and salvage his race.

Out in front, Verstappen keeps putting time on Hamilton but Perez is dropping off the back of the Mercedes, now some four seconds behind.

21:27 , Marc Mayo

“I’m still not happy with this tyre,” Russell tells team radio. All a bit late for alternative arrangements, and he’s stuck 5.5 seconds off third place.

In the midfield, Ricciardo is a man possessed on Soft tyres. He’s climbed to ninth, where he watches Ocon jump Alonso under DRS before following through himself!

With a ten-second penalty to come, he’s hoping to build out a lead that will allow him at least a point.

21:24 , Marc Mayo

Red Bull tell Verstappen he can push his tyres even harder if he fancies it. Is a 12-second lead not enough?

Lap 57/71

21:21 , Marc Mayo

Perez starts to have a look at Hamilton with 15 seconds to go, if he can leapfrof the Mercedes that would surely spell the end of his hopes of victory.

Verstappen now 12 seconds ahead in the lead, have they turned the Red Bulls up a notch?

21:18 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen has nudged out his lead to 10.7 seconds ove Hamilton, perhaps holding back to try and save his tyres for the finish?

Perez remains 1.5 off Hamilton with Russell clawing back to 5.8 seconds behind third-placed Perez.

And a 10-second penalty for Ricciardo. That’ll be his hope of any points gone.

Lap 53/71

21:16 , Marc Mayo

That will be that for Tsunoda. The AlphaTauri pulls into the pits and, after a brief look at switching his nose, they call time.

“What the *** is he doing?!” he cries out over team radio.

Ricciardo wasn’t left a car’s width but he was comfortably behind, so didn’t have to be.

21:14 , Marc Mayo

Contact between Ricciardo and Tsunoda!

In a scrap for 11th, the Aussie sends it at Turn 6 and collides with the AlphaTauri, which rolls over his front wheel and skids onto the grass.

Tsunoda keeps it rolling but will need to pit.

Lap 51/71

21:13 , Marc Mayo

Safe to say this is a bit of race for the purists.

Little by the way of wheel-to-wheel battles but plenty of mathematics and intrigue to get stuck into, as Mercedes retain a slimming hope of taking the fight to Red Bull.

21:08 , Marc Mayo

Worth noting that Zhou finally pits on lap 47, suggesting that is near enough the ceiling for these Medium tyres.

Verstappen took his more or less 47 laps from the chequered flag... Could Red Bull do a one stop?

Lap 46/71

21:07 , Marc Mayo

Zhou becomes the last driver to pit as Ricciardo comes in and he drops back as Ocon and Bottas swoop through, the Alpine taking eighth place to follow Alonso. A good weekend so far for them.

Both McLarens, their rivals for fourth in the Constructors’, are out of the points.

21:03 , Marc Mayo

Both Hamilton and Russell radio in to express their concern over the Hard tyre.

That Verstappen gap is at 9.5 seconds, either he can cruise home unless the Medium totally dies or he can bolt on a fresh set and attempt to make up a decent gap late on.

Lap 41/71

21:00 , Marc Mayo

Alonso pits from sixth place after losing out to Sainz, he pops on the Hard and comes out eighth, behind Ricciardo who is the highest runner yet to pit.

20:56 , Marc Mayo

“This tyre is not as good as the Medium,” Hamilton tells team radio. He’s told the Mediums have a sharp drop-off that make it much of a muchness between the two compounds over the course of the race.

No doubt who’s quicker right this minute, Perez pulling to within a second or so of Hamilton and Verstappen now eight clear in the lead.

Lap 36/71

20:53 , Marc Mayo

So, here are the timings for the front four.

Verstappen has grown his lead over Hamilton by a touch, perhaps not enough, to 7.3 seconds.

Perez is 1.5 off Hamilton and has the fastest lap, on quicker tyres.

Russell is 7.5 seconds behind in fourth, let’s see how the gap unfolds to see if the Brit can reel in Perez on more durable tyres.

Russell pits!

20:51 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen retakes the lead as Mercedes plug fresh Hards onto Russell for his one-stopper.

He comes out fourth, chasing Perez.

Lap 32/71

20:47 , Marc Mayo

So, Russell now leads the race having not pitted and tells team radio his tyres are feeling good - and wants a Soft stint to finish on.

That will be one mega one-stop strategy, requiring about 50 laps in total on those Mediums.

Verstappen is 10 seconds behind.

Hamilton pits!

20:44 , Marc Mayo

A clean swap for Hard tyres for the race leader.

A 3.3-second stop brings him out in third place, 6.6 seconds off Verstappen, for a one-stop strategy.

Lap 28/71

20:42 , Marc Mayo

Gearbox issues for Verstappen, he reports over the radio. Let’s see how that affects his lap times.

Meanwhile, Hamilton complains of “cuts in my engine”.

20:41 , Marc Mayo

Perez gets Leclerc for fifth and Mexico City goes wild.

Ahead, Verstappen on clean tyres will start to eat into a 19-second deficit to Hamilton, who may well be going for a one-stopper.

Russell is 5.5 in front, running second.

Lap 26/71

20:39 , Marc Mayo

In comes Verstappen!

A much cleaner, 2.5-second stop and Sainz is propelling his Ferrari down the main straight as Verstappen leaves the pits...

He comes out third and ahead of Sainz. Clean air for the Dutchman.

20:37 , Marc Mayo

Hamilton says he’s happy with his tyres as we await Red Bull’s decision with Verstappen, who is 1.6 seconds ahead. That gap has barely shifted in the past 35 minutes.

“My front-left is dead,” says the race leader.

Perez pits!

20:35 , Marc Mayo

In comes the Mexican on lap 24 and it’s a problem on the left-rear! A five-second stop.

He comes out sixth.

20:33 , Marc Mayo

“Tyres starting to struggle in low speed,” says Verstappen. Expect a Red Bull pit-stop imminently.

Lap 21/71

20:32 , Marc Mayo

Mercedes tell Russell he may have to “go long” with a “clear and substantial” loss of pace from Verstappen out in front.

That prompts a pick-up in pace from both the Brit and Hamilton.

20:29 , Marc Mayo

Leclerc, running sixth, urges ‘Plan C’ over team radio but is told that will only drop him into the midfield rabble.

He’s four seconds off Sainz, who is almost ten seconds back from Russell. Not Ferrari’s weekend.

Lap 18/71

20:27 , Marc Mayo

No surprises as Gasly gets slapped with a five-second time penalty. He’s running 15th, four seconds clear of Stroll, and he’ll serve that at his first pit stop.

20:25 , Marc Mayo

There is Verstappen with the fastest lap of the race as his pit window opens.

The world champion complains over team radio of bouncing issues.

Lap 15/71

20:22 , Marc Mayo

Red Bull ask Verstappen to break the tow on Hamilton - aka, “go quicker”.

That Mercedes is sticking stubbornly to the back of his rival, just 1.5 seconds behind.

A personal best is Verstappen’s response.

20:21 , Marc Mayo

Stroll claims he has “no ******* grip” over team radio as he holds off Gasly for 15th, having started at the back with a grid penalty and fought well up the pack off the line.

Into the Turn 4 chicane, Gasly locks up and sends both cars off the track - but carries on with the overtake! Surely he’ll have to give that back, or suffer a penalty.

Lap 10/71

20:16 , Marc Mayo

Around lap 16 onwards we should see Verstappen pit with the Red Bull on used tyres from the start.

Likewise for Perez, Sainz and Leclerc. They will probably pit twice for new Mediums across the evening.

Mercedes could do a one-stopper, if they fancy it.

20:14 , Marc Mayo

DRS not yet proving too powerful, a few trains forming in the midfield as Zhou holds off Ricciardo for 12th.

Lap 6/71

20:11 , Marc Mayo

A new fastest lap for Hamilton.

Here’s that Turn 1 chaos from the first lap:

20:09 , Marc Mayo

Good news for Hamilton, he has put 1.2 seconds on Perez with DRS open despite being on those Medium tyres and also lacking DRS on Verstappen, who is 1.3 seconds up the road.

Bottas is fighting Alonso for seventh with the top six all separated by just over a second.

Lap 2/71

20:06 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen already has a second’s lead on Hamilton, who is on a slower tyre but has Perez on his tail.

Leclerc has jumped Bottas, Alonso too to knock the Finn back to eighth. Poor start for McLaren, Norris and Ricciardo dropping back two places each.

LIGHTS OUT!

20:04 , Marc Mayo

A big slipstream but Verstappen holds on into Turn 1!

Hamilton beats Russell into the chicance and Perez forces his way through too!

Tyre choices

20:01 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen on the Soft, quicker but less durable, tyre ahead of Mediums for Russell and Hamilton.

Perez, Sainz and Leclerc also on the Softs with a lot of split strategies - Bottas in sixth going Medium.

Formation lap

20:00 , Marc Mayo

Verstappen and Russell lead the pack around the track ahead of lights out.

Tyre strategy

19:55 , Marc Mayo

A two-stopper should prove quickest today, particularly with slow cars set to be gobbled up by DRS on the long start/finish straight.

Toto Wolff on the grid

19:51 , Marc Mayo

“I think a good tow, if the Red Bull is faster on the straight but we can catch the tow we could be in the lead, and that’s the best chance for the win. We’ve put the biggest cooling solution on the car, whether it’ll be enough...”

Late problems at Haas

19:48 , Marc Mayo

Kevin Magnussen’s Haas experienced some issues coming to the grid, as they struggled with a wheel gun problem.

Sky F1 reporting the matter has been sorted and he’ll start 19th as planned.

Sergio Perez hoping for improved day

19:44 , Marc Mayo

Coming fourth in qualifying was not on the agenda of Mexico’s Sergio Perez - something he blamed on an electrical issue.

“It was a mess, a total mess," he said yesterday.

“We had an electrical issue from the beginning but, if I look back at my quali, I was nearly knocked out in Q1, nearly in Q2, I had no reference to progress, I had no lap times.

“Sometimes I could not figure out where I was with my brake balance either. So it was a total mess, but in the end I think P4 is not the worst bit, but I think certainly we could have been quite a lot higher than we are.”

20-minute warning!

19:40 , Marc Mayo

A no-doubt hearty Mexican national anthem coming up with the final preparations taking place on the grid.

Issues for Lando Norris

19:34 , Marc Mayo

The McLaren drivers speaks of “warped” brakes on the grid, radio-ing in concerns as he left the pits. Not something the team can fix in the next 20 minutes, however...

30-minute warning!

19:30 , Marc Mayo

Charles Leclerc is back in seventh on the grid for his landmark race in the Ferrari.

Alonso calms Hamilton claim

19:25 , Marc Mayo

Fernando Alonso has moved to quash talk of a feud between himself and Lewis Hamilton.

The Brit posted a cryptic tweet after his forme teammate had suggested his seven world titles were worth less while “only fighting his teammate”.

Alonso tweeted: “Please, all the titles are amazing, well deserved and inspiring. Incomparable to each other and let’s enjoy champions and legends of our current time.

“Tired of the continuous search for headlines. Let’s enjoy them.”

Pit lane open!

19:20 , Marc Mayo

It’s time for the drivers to take to the track for the first time today...

What can McLaren do today?

19:18 , Marc Mayo

Right in the thick of a battle with Alpine for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, Lando Norris starts eighth with Daniel Ricciardo 11th on today’s grid.

In between them, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon...

Toto Wolff outlines Mercedes plan

19:13 , Marc Mayo

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will hope to pick up a big tow down into Turn 1, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff discussing their propsects off the line.

He said: “Having Max with his top-speed advantage behind us would have been a problem.

“Starting second and third can be advantageous and I hope we can stick our nose, or both noses, into Turn 1 and then disappear into the distance.

“But definitely that’s going to be difficult.”

A classic car parade for the drivers

19:09 , Marc Mayo

Some proper Mexican style, that.

Verstappen teases Hamilton

19:03 , Marc Mayo

Lewis Hamilton cannot bear to utter Max Verstappen’s name, the Red Bull driver has claimed.

“People have told me that he doesn’t use my name,” he told the Mail.

“I was always taught that you have to respect what people have achieved in sport. I have no problem with what Lewis has achieved. He is one of the best ever.

“I know it is not only the car he has been driving. That helps. We all know that, but you still have to beat your team-mate and Lewis has done that consistently. I think you have to acknowledge the person has done an amazing job as well.”

No guessing who the most popular man in Mexico is right now...

18:58 , Marc Mayo

Sergio Perez starts fourth on the grid - lights out in just over an hour’s time!

Lewis Hamilton set to stick around

18:53 , Marc Mayo

Confirmation from Lewis Hamilton ahead of the race weekend that he is eager to hold off on retirement and enter new contract talks with Mercedes represents a huge boost for Formula One.

Some had assumed the 37-year-old would simply walk away from the sport once his imperious streak with Mercedes dried up, as it has done this season.

Instead, Hamilton has defied his critics to front up during his team’s woes and will stick around past his 40th birthday if he signs up through to 2025.

Read the full story!

Red Bull unhappy with Sky Sports

18:48 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen's Red Bull team will refuse to speak to Sky Sports indefinitely, starting at Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix, the PA news agency understands.

Verstappen refused to address the broadcaster when he put his Red Bull on pole position for Sunday's race after he was made aware of Sky Sports' pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz saying Lewis Hamilton was last year "robbed" of an eighth world championship.

But PA understands the entire team - including Christian Horner - will now subject Sky to a boycott after growing increasingly frustrated with its coverage.

Weather forecast

18:43 , Marc Mayo

Rain is set to arrive at the track in a few hours’ time, meaning we should get a dry race today.

Temperatures could hit 25°C with a light wing across the track.

Starting grid

18:40 , Marc Mayo

Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix after beating George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to top spot.

A day after his Red Bull team were fined £6million for breaching Formula One’s financial rules, Verstappen delivered a superb lap in the breathless Mexico City air to take the qualifying spoils.

Russell finished second, 0.304 seconds behind Verstappen, with Hamilton, 0.309secs further back.

How to watch

18:33 , Marc Mayo

TV channel: In the UK, the race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage of Grand Prix Sunday starts at 6.30pm on F1 before the race begins at 8pm BST.

Free highlights will be available to watch on Channel 4 at 1.05am.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also stream the race action live online via the SkyGo app.

Hello and welcome!

16:04 , Marc Mayo

Tonight’s Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 8pm with Max Verstappen on pole as he targets the most wins by one driver in a single season.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton complete the top three on the grid at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - Mercedes still yet to win a race in 2022.

Local favourite Sergio Perez lines up fourth. Keep it with Standard Sport’s live blog for all the build-up, race action and reaction!